static waves | ones to watch
Static Waves is an up and coming, Indie/Rock and Roll/Pop band from Utah.
"We believe in the "Static Way," and being a grump or a grouch is not the static way."
Jesse Hart | Lead Singer
Jesse Hart (25) is a diverse artist, playing both guitar and piano in his free time outside of the band. "I played by myself for a really long time, I did a lot of solo electronic music, but I wanted a live band feel. I wrote a lot of of our songs but everyone has started bringing in ideas and it's really evolved which I like a lot. " He notes Static Wave's influence from Coldplay and The Killers, also mentioning "my first inspiration was Buddy Holly." Describing why he chose the catchy name "Static Waves" for the band, he said "I really liked the word 'static,' it reminds me of electricity, and all of our instruments are electric. Waves for our sound." He laughed and went on to tell me a bit on the behind-the-scenes of the band. "I've been pronouncing Cory's last name wrong at every show for the last 6 months, it's kind of become a running joke." All teasing aside, Jesse states "We're a really close knit group of guys." Jesse's dream outside of the band taking off is to become a music producer, having a studio at his home. Music is the center of his life and wants to be able to "focus on it more than anything else, because it distracts me more than anything else. I'd like to be able to make a living doing this." Jesse is a down to earth musician "trying to get by like everybody else."
Austin Cross | Guitar
"The band calls me "Cross," but... that's not my name. I don't really prefer it." Austin Cross is a 6'3, nike wearing, 26 year old Utahn from Orem. "I wake up every day thinking 'Oh my gosh, what have I done with my life." He's at UVU studying digital media, with an emphasis in sound recording, which comes awfully in handy when you get to know his dreams with music. He's been playing for fourteen years, becoming a very experienced musician. "I wish I was 21 still because that's the prime, I'm coming out of my prime." He measures success in the music industry by the ability to make a living playing really big shows. "I'd love the world to hear our music." Despite being the "edge" of the band, Austin is an incredibly humble, funny, and hardworking man. "It's tons of time, every day for three to four hours a day on top of a full time job." He helps out with the songwriting, usually adding to Jesse's music. He also wrote the song "Pull Me Closer" which is one of my personal favorites on the EP. Austin's musical influences are "a lot heavier than the rest of the guys, I like Tool and Nine Inch Nails. I try to pull more positive sounds from them" adding some grit to Static Wave's upbeat rock sound. "They have to keep me in check a lot, because l'll come up with something and I'll know it's way too 'something' for them, too heavy or fast, but its what i want to do. So I have to take it back." While he may not love the artists that the rest of the band is influenced by, he adamantly states "what we all come up with I love."
Justin Woods | Synth
Justin, 26, is in school full time at UVU, studying graphic design, which gives an edge to the band's branding. What personally caught my eye about the band was their attention to detail in their album art and promotion, and Justin is the brains behind this. He says that design "helps his creativity in music." He also wants to do music full time and continue to work as the graphic designer for the band. Justin's synth sounds are what put Static Waves on the same map as bands like The Killers, giving it a catchy and happy sound. He wants to create an experience for their audience, with the style of the band which he describes as "ripster," meaning a soft blend of rock and roll and hipster. "The band is new and we're just having a good time."
"gentle general authority smile"
Cade Tueller | Bass
"Static Waves came together on a gentle January morning, and gentleness is where passion and power meet." Cade Tueller has a silly sense of humor that adds to the personality of the band. "If the audience gives Static Waves a chance they will find that there is power and passion benind every word." Despite the fact that the band can all laugh and goof around with each other, they take their music very seriously. "We love what we do, we all have jobs but we put a ton of time into it so it will sound good." Cade's musical influences are Weezer, Coldplay, John Mayer, The Killers and Young the Giant. Their synth sound has more of a modern edge than the Killers, and Cade says that sets Static Waves apart from them, as well as Jesse's vocals. "I'm the bassist really because I'm the second or third best guitarist in the band so therefore the first best should be lead guitar, and I love playing bass." He says that their audience would be "lovers and haters everywhere, who appreciate the synth of the 80's, good guitar riffs, and great looking people." Cade is a voice of confidence for the band "I love our music, so ultimately I would love to do this. I love writing music, I love performing. We're confident that we have potential, if we find the right listeners, they will like us." He attributes their potential to the brotherhood of the band. "We're all really tight, we're all really good friends. We go to dinner after every show."
Cory Beighley | Drums
Cory shares the dreams of the rest of the band, to be successful so they can support their families doing what they love. He wants to "stay with the music and keep moving." He mentions how lucky his is for his wife who is so supportive of him achieving his dreams "because of her i get to do this." He expresses his appreciation for the members of his band too; "all of us, as friends, we just click so well and have a good time. It's not a burden to come to practice because we're just such good friends and on stage its just so easy to have fun and play because we just have that chemistry together." He explains that the band truly makes an effort to create a visual performance to accompany the music. "Fifty percent of the audience is visual and fifty aren't. So half of our audience can go and listen to the music and enjoy it, but the other fifty have to see to be entertained, so we need to meet them both ways."
the band's songwriting couch
"If we have any groupies, we haven't seen them. We have groupies but they are married to the band members..."
TONIGHT: Velour Music Gallery, Provo UT, 8pm